Mobile cranes and other utility vehicles with wheels are well known in the prior art. The wheels provide such vehicles with support, mobility, and steering. When the vehicle includes a crane, some additional type of jacking system is generally attached to the carriage of the vehicle in order to lift the carriage in an upward direction until the wheels are no longer in contact with a support surface. This action provides a secure support footing for the crane to prevent the crane from sliding or rolling along the support surface when a load is lifted. In the prior art, separate steering and jacking systems have been employed to provide such mobile vehicles with steering and jacking capabilities. Unfortunately, the steering and jacking systems of the prior art tend to be highly complex, expensive to produce and maintain, and difficult to use.